A system and method employing image analysis may provide an objective measure of the state of gingival tissue health. A region of analysis on an image of gingival tissue may be divided into pixels. Each pixel may have an associated color made up of component R, G and B values. A user may obtain an objective measurement of oral cavity soft tissue health by determining an objective measurement of the component color values of a gingival tissue image region and performing statistical analysis on the color values.
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1. A method for evaluating oral cavity soft tissue of at least one subject, comprising:
identifying a first gingival margin of at least one first gingival tissue image;
creating a first gingival band, the first gingival band including the first gingival margin and a first ending boundary;
dividing the first gingival band into at least one first region comprising a first plurality of cells and associating at least one first color value therewith;
analyzing the at least one first color value;
identifying a second gingival margin of at least one second gingival tissue image;
creating a second gingival band, the second gingival band including the second gingival margin and a second ending boundary;
dividing the second gingival band into at least one second region comprising a second plurality of cells and associating at least one second color value therewith;
analyzing the at least one second color value;
comparing the at least one color value to the at least one second color value to obtain a mathematical value;
associating a display color with the mathematical value; and
displaying the display color on a display image.
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wherein the plurality of second gingival tissue images is later in time than the first gingival tissue image.
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capturing the oral care soft tissue image at a first location;
sending the oral care soft tissue image to a second location;
wherein analyzing the at least one color value comprises analyzing the at least one first color value at the second location.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/833,281, filed Jul. 25, 2006.
This patent relates to methods and products for analyzing soft tissues of an oral cavity.
Imaging systems for analyzing hard tissues, such as teeth, are known in the art. An example is described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 2003/0059381, “Structures and compositions increasing the stability of peroxide actives” to Goodhart, et al. Some methods for analyzing soft tissues of the oral cavity also exist, such as the Löe and Silness Gingival Index as described in “Periodontal Disease in Pregnancy: Prevalence and Severity”, the Modified Gingival Index as described in “A modified gingival index for use in clinical trials” by Lobene, et al., and the Ainamo and Bay Gingival Bleeding Index as described in “Problems and proposals for recording gingivitis and plaque” by Ainamo and Bay. However, there is a continuing desire to provide more objective methods and products for analyzing oral cavity soft tissue condition or health. Further, there is a continuing desire to provide methods and products for semi-automated or automated analysis of soft tissues, wherein the methods and products can be used to compare the soft tissues of one or more subjects or to analyze the effect upon soft tissues of one or more products or regimens.
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter that is regarded as the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Some of the figures may have been simplified by the omission of selected elements for the purpose of more clearly showing other elements. Such omissions of elements in some figures are not necessarily indicative of the presence or absence of particular elements in any of the exemplary embodiments, except as may be explicitly delineated in the corresponding written description. None of the drawings are necessarily to scale.
All documents cited in the Detailed Description are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
There are broadly described herein methods and systems for analyzing soft tissues. A system and method employing image analysis may provide an objective measure of the state or condition of soft tissue. For simplicity of discussion, gingival tissue will be discussed hereafter as an example of soft tissue suitable for use with the present invention. A region of analysis on an image of gingival tissue may be divided into pixels. Each pixel may have an associated color that may be characterized by one or more color values. As used herein, the term “color value” is intended to refer to one or more numeric values that represent a spectral or other color or pixel characteristic. The characteristic associated with the color value is generically referred to as a color characteristic. Examples of color characteristics include components of a color space (e.g., RGB color space, CIELAB color space, and LCH color space), brightness, luminance, hue, saturation, chroma, color temperature, contrast, intensity, lightness, reflectance may have color values. The color value can include, but is not limited to, a single value, a range of values, multiple values, a statistical value, or any value mathematically calculated from several values or from an algorithm. For instance, a gradient or slope derived from several values or a summation of several values can also constitute a color value. For simplicity and ease of discussion, RGB color space component values, referred to herein as R, G, and B, will be discussed most frequently hereafter. In one embodiment, a user may obtain an objective measurement of oral cavity soft tissue health or disease (and other conditions) by determining an objective measurement of one or more component color values of a gingival tissue image region and performing statistical analysis on the color values. Other uses for the present invention may include, but are not limited to, determining the relative safety of a product, drug, or regimen by analyzing the soft tissue for changes in redness which might indicate irritation or other adverse reaction to a product or regimen. For example, the fit, integration, or retention of implants and prosthetics can be evaluated based upon changes in redness of soft tissue, which can be an indication of irritation. In another embodiment, specific regions of the soft tissue may be analyzed. For instance, interproximal gingival tissues may be a region of interest, particularly where changes in redness (or other calorimetric tissue changes) may be useful for determining the effectiveness of particular products or regimens with respect to the interproximal tissues. In yet another use, the safety and/or tolerability of products, such as a denture adhesive, can be evaluated based upon changes in redness.
In one embodiment, the computer-implemented system and methods automatically analyze gingival tissues. In another embodiment, a computer system semi-automatically analyzes gingival tissues and a human user provides some of the analysis and/or inputs to the computer system. While the invention will be described hereafter with respect to automatic and semi-automatic systems and methods, it is contemplated that the invention encompasses systems and methods for manually analyzing gingival tissues, wherein a human user conducts the analysis.
Referring to
The computer system 100 may include a computer-readable medium having a computer program or computer system 100 software accessible therefrom. The computer program may include instructions for performing methods. The computer-readable medium may be stored on a non-removable, non-volatile memory device 144 such as a hard disk, or a removable, non-volatile memory device such as a floppy disk drive 146 or an optical disk drive 148. The non-removable, non-volatile memory device 144 may communicate with the computer 100 system bus 106 through a non-removable, non-volatile memory interface 150. The computer-readable medium may include a magnetic storage medium (disk medium, tape storage medium, microdrives, compact flash cards), an optical storage medium (compact disks such as CD-ROM, CD-RW, and DVD), a non-volatile memory storage medium, a volatile memory storage medium, and data transmission or communications medium including packets of electronic data, and electromagnetic or fiber optic waves modulated in accordance with instructions. Thus, the computer readable medium tangibly embodies a program, functions, and/or instructions that are executable by the computer system 100 to perform methods as described herein.
The computer system 100 may be connected to a network, including local area networks (LANs) 152, wide area networks (WANs) 154, portions of the Internet such as a private Internet, a secure Internet, a value-added network, or a virtual private network. Suitable network clients 156 may include personal computers, laptops, workstations, disconnectable mobile computers, mainframes, information appliances, personal digital assistants, and other handheld and/or embedded processing systems. The signal lines that support communications links to clients 156 may include twisted pair, coaxial, or optical fiber cables, telephone lines, satellites, microwave relays, modulated AC power lines, and other data transmission “wires” known to those of skill in the art. Further, signals may be transferred wirelessly through a wireless network or wireless LAN (WLAN) using any suitable wireless transmission protocol, such as the IEEE series of 802.11 standards. Although particular individual and network computer systems and components are shown, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention also works with a variety of other networks and computers.
Referring to
The degree to which an image or individual image regions present healthy or diseased tissues may be related to the degree of redness. For example, as shown in
With reference to
With reference to
Referring to
A captured image 415 may be obtained with a digital camera 128 under controlled lighting conditions. An example of a digital camera 128 may be the Finepix™ S2-Pro as produced by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan. The camera 128 may be of suitable resolution for capturing color gradations, particularly the color variances in gingival tissues. For example, a digital resolution of 800×600 pixels may be suitable. Further, the digital camera 128 may be able to obtain captured images 415 in a selected one of the R, G, or B color wavelengths, or may be a multi-spectral camera. The camera 128 may also be configured with a linear polarizing lens 417 that may capture cross-polarized light, or any other lens that may reduce the amount of glare or other light interference received at the camera 128. An example of a suitable lens may be the Micro Nikkor lens with a linear polarizing filter produced by Nikon Corp. of Tokyo, Japan. A standard, fixed set-up may be used to ensure reproducible conditions with respect to light-subject-camera geometry. A digital camera 128 may be mounted a fixed distance away from a cup-type chin rest with lights positioned on each side of the camera 128. The body of the camera may be a distance from the front of the chin rest. Dedo™ lights of the type produced by Dedotec, USA, Inc. of Cedar Grove, N.J. may be mounted on each side of the camera 128 and equipped with a series of filters. Each light may be positioned a distance from the system centerline. The lights may also be placed at an angle relative to the centerline of the system. The light filters may be a heat shield, a polarizer, and a bluing filter. The heat shield may serve as a comfort measure for the subjects, the polarizer may provide polarized light to the tooth surfaces, and the bluing filter may raise color temperature. The filters may be attached to the front of the lights using a custom mounting bracket that positions the filters a distance from the front of the light lens. Each Dedo™ light may be fitted with a suitable bulb, for example, the Xenophot™ type, 150 W, 24V as produced by Sylvania of Danvers, Mass. The bulb may be powered with a tunable voltage power supply and powered in series. The slideable bulb socket of the Dedo™ light may be positioned at the back of the light housing and locked down. A power supply equipped with a rheostat may be used to set the voltage to approximately 46V. A difference between the series bulb voltage and initial set-point may protect against accidental overpowering of the bulbs and may provide adjustment latitude during calibration and standardization. The camera 128 may obtain a captured image 415 in a setting configured to eliminate any extraneous light from windows or other light sources. For example, the only light in the room may be provided by the imaging system light sources. The system may be placed a distance away from camera-visible walls, such that, the camera may not detect light reflected off of the walls.
A zoom lens may be attached to the camera 128 for better imaging. The lens may be a 4×75 mm type lens as produced by Fujinon Corp. of Saitama, Japan. The focal plane of the lens may be set a distance from the lens and the lens may be locked down to prevent adjustments. A polarizer may be added to the zoom lens and rotated to a position of cross polarization relative to the light polarizer. The cross polarization may be set by placing a chrome ball or other reflecting surface at the focal plane and rotating the polarizer on the lens until the glare spots on the reflecting surface disappear. A suitably-sized chrome ball may be approximately 19 mm in diameter. This combination of lighting, camera and lens settings may produce RGB values of approximately equal and not saturated for a pure white sample, to assure that the camera may not be saturated on any of the color channels.
The height of the chin rest may be mounted such that the floor of the chin rest may be a distance from a support surface. Other fixation may be used, such as a forehead rest. Images may be captured without any fixation. Similarly, the bottom of the camera base may be a distance from the support surface. The camera 128 may be controlled by a general purpose computer 100. One example of a general purpose computer may be produced by Dell, Inc. of Round Rock, Tex.
While in use, the system 400 may be black/white balanced and standardized to two color reference standards. The black balance may be established by putting the lens cover on and capturing an image 415. The black balance may be adjusted until uniformity is achieved across the R, G and B channel. A gray reference standard image in the focal plane may then be captured and the white balance adjusted to bring the color channel values to uniformity across R, G and B channels. After white balancing, a second image of the gray standard may be captured. The gray value of each pixel may be normalized to the mean intensity of the image to generate a position dependant ratio correction for any variations in lighting intensity across the field of view of the camera. This intensity correction may be applied to each subsequently captured image.
An image of a color standard may be captured as a separate image or as part of an image of the oral cavity. The average R, G and B values of each color may be extracted and compared to a standard set of values which serve as the standardization point for the camera 128. These standardization values may be determined by using several cameras to capture images under the conditions established with the system 400. If the R, G and B values are within pre-established tolerance values, then no further system 400 adjustment may be needed. If the values are outside tolerances, the system 400 may be adjusted. For example, the light intensity may be adjusted to bring the system 400 within the tolerances. To color correct for inevitable remaining differences between the captured values and the standard values, a polynomial color correction may be established by regressing the standard values for each channel against the captured values including the cross channel terms where:
Rcorrected=f(Rinput, Ginput, Binput);
Gcorrected=f(Rinput, Ginput, Binput); and
Bcorrected=f(Rinput, Ginput, Binput).
The system 400 may be color calibrated approximately every hour during use or more frequently as needed. After successful standardization, the position dependent intensity correction and the color correction may be applied to each subsequently captured image until the next calibration cycle. If a color standard is captured in each image, standardization may be performed separately for each image. Each calibration set including raw values and calibration results may be written to a text file each time the system is calibrated. A complete system 400 calibration to include, but not limited to, light standardization, light-camera-subject geometry, polarization calibration, black/white balance, and color standardization may be performed before daily use.
A subject may use cheek retractors such as those supplied by Salvin Dental Specialties of Charlotte, N.C. to pull the cheeks back and allow for unobstructed illumination of the gingival tissues. Prior to use, the clear retractors may be given a matte finish to avoid the possibility of depolarizing the light and producing glare in the captured image 415. Each subject may then put their chin in the rest, while the operator provides instructions to properly align the subject based on a live output view from the camera 128. The subjects may hold the maxillary 477 and mandibular 479 incisors tip to tip to avoid an overlap of the maxillary and mandibular teeth. The subjects may be instructed to look straight on to the camera 128 to avoid any left right rotation and forward or backward tilting of the head, and to pull retractors by the ends of the handles toward the ears to avoid any shadowing resulting from the retractors or the subject's hands. Retractors may also be of a one-piece design that may expose the desired area of gingival tissue automatically without the subject's involvement. The subject may also retract the tongue away from the teeth. If excess saliva is observed, the subject may remove the retractors, close their mouth to clear the saliva before repositioning. When in position, the image 415 may be captured, processed through the intensity and color correction, and saved to the system 400.
Referring to
At 615, a gingival margin may be identified. As used herein, the gingival margin may be an edge of the soft tissue (i.e., the boundary at the end or edge of the soft tissue and the hard tissue) or may be a selected boundary that is near, adjacent to, or close to the edge of the soft tissue. The gingival margin may also be some distance from the edge of the soft tissue and the location of the boundary may vary depending on the type of analysis desired.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
TABLE 1
Pixel (x, y)
R Value
G Value
B Value
(1, 1)
149
125
118
(2, 1)
149
125
118
(3, 1)
146
128
116
(4, 1)
145
127
115
(5, 1)
145
127
115
(6, 1)
145
127
115
(7, 1)
146
127
115
(8, 1)
147
128
116
(9, 1)
147
130
115
(10, 1)
147
130
115
Average Cell Values
147
126
116
The average color values for several regions or cells 727, 730, the entire gingival band 715, or any portion of the gingival band 715 may be similarly averaged or mathematically manipulated. For instance, regions 727 and 730 may be selected according to user preference, for example, if the user determines that the regions 727 and 730 should be examined more closely. Other regions 732, 734 may be selected as related to a particular tooth as define by the papilla pixel coordinates 708. The color values for a plurality of cells or regions may be averaged to determine representative color value for the entire band 715 or a subset thereof, such as a plurality of regions or cells. An example for a band 715 containing 6 regions whose values have been averaged to determine composite R, G, and B values for the band is set forth below in Table 2.
TABLE 2
Region
R Average
G Average
B Average
#1
149
125
118
#2
149
125
118
#3
147
128
116
#4
147
127
115
#5
146
127
115
#6
145
127
115
Average Band Values
147
126
116
At 635, the averaged values from 630 may be saved to a computer-readable medium either on the system 400 or sent to a network computer 156 and stored for archival purposes or further processing.
At 640, the computer 100 may perform several analyses on the data collected at 630.
At 645, the system 400 may display data, statistics, and images related to the analysis of 640.
With reference to
With reference to
At 835, color values of the pixels, consisting of a value of each R, G and B color component, within the gingival band 915 may be mathematically manipulated and analyzed for patterns, trends, diagnosis, and the like. For example, the color value averages as described in relation to 630 may be calculated for any part of the gingival band 915, for example, each sub-band 920. The average value for each sub-band 920 may then be combined to create an average for the entire gingival band 915 or each sub-band 920 average may be separated for later, individual analysis. At 840, the averaged values from 835 may be saved to a computer-readable medium either on the system 400 or sent to another computer 100 and stored for archival purposes or further processing. At 845, the system 400 may perform several analyses on the data saved at 840. At 850, the system 400 may display data, statistics, and images related to the analysis of 845.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
Several different types of analyses may be performed on the data saved at 635, 840, and 1070. Each analysis may be performed alone or in combination with other types of analyses. With reference to
In contrast, with reference to
In addition to displaying the change in redness versus distance graphically, as shown by way of example in
Further, at steps 635, 840, and 1070, an analysis of the gingival band 715, 915, 1115 color may be made on a region 727, 730 specific basis to compare the same relative location of gingival tissue for the same subjects between two different images 420. Values across sub-bands 920, 1120 may also be analyzed to generate a separate average value for each sub-band 920, 1120, either together or separately by arch. Further, values across cells 1135 may generate a separate average value for each cell, separately by arch. Within-subject comparisons may be made separately for each region 725, sub-band 920, 1120, or cell 1135. For example, a region 725, sub-band 920, 1120, or cell 1135 may be analyzed over time by statistically comparing the color average of several later images 420 (e.g. paired t-test, descriptive statistics, etc.). Statistical comparisons may be performed separately by arch or results may first be averaged across arches prior to statistical comparison.
Similarly, at 635, 840, and 1070, between-subject comparisons may be made on a site or region-specific basis to compare the same relative location of gingival tissue between two different subjects or groups of subjects. Between-subject comparisons may allow the evaluation of a hygiene regimen or product across a particular group. Further, the comparisons may be made against normative data. For example, averages of a region 727, 730 may result in a single average value of the endpoint per subject per arch. Averaging by sub-band 920, 1120 may generate a separate average value for each sub-band 920, 1120 separately by arch. Averaging by cell 1135 may generate a separate average value for each cell 1135 separately by arch. The subject-level average values may then be compared between groups using an appropriate statistical analysis method (e.g., descriptive statistics, analysis of covariance, etc). Analyses may be performed separately by arch or results may first be averaged across arches before comparing groups.
With reference to
A clinical study or trial is a research study in human volunteers to answer specific health questions. There are different kinds of clinical trials, including those to study: prevention options, new treatments or new ways to use existing treatments, new screening and diagnostic techniques, options for improving the quality of life for people who have serious medical conditions. Clinical trials are conducted according to a plan called a protocol. The protocol describes what types of patients may enter the study, schedules of tests and procedures, compositions, dosages, and length of study, as well as the outcomes that will be measured.
The change in redness between time points can be calculated by subtracting a first color value from a second color value to calculate a difference between the values. The difference can have a display color, such as a color from the range of colors 1410, associated therewith that can be superimposed on a maxillary or mandibular image, such as shown in
The average change in gingival redness may also be displayed in tabular form 1610, as shown by way of example in
The methods described above may be performed in a variety of settings for a variety of purposes. For example, the methods may be performed as part of a point of sale kiosk where a customer may try a dentifrice or other hygiene product for a period of time in order to determine its effectiveness. For example, the kiosk may contain a system for capturing an image of the customer's gingival tissues. The system may then analyze the image using any one or a combination of the methods as previously described. The system may then present the user with an analysis of his gingival tissues and include specific suggestions for suitable products to remedy any observed malady. For example, after analyzing the customer's gingival tissues, the kiosk may recommend a specific dental floss, dentifrice, powered or manual brush, rinse, adhesive, emollient or technique, or combinations thereof, to remedy the problem or potential problem. After trying the method or product for a period of time, the customer may return to the kiosk for another gingival tissue analysis. The system may then compare the results of the latest analysis with the previous analysis to determine the effectiveness of the product, technique, or regimen the customer used. A similar method may be employed to allow the customer to compare the effectiveness of competing products. The kiosk may also compare the individual customer's data with a repository of other customer data to provide further comparative information. The kiosks or any system as previously described to capture and analyze gingival tissue images may be distributed to allow the customer, a trained professional, or a technician to perform an analysis or comparison at many convenient locations. In addition to using the system and method in a point-of-sale setting, it may be used as part of a professional dental exam where the subject's gingival health may be determined as part of a periodic oral examination and comparisons are made between the condition or health of the tissue between dental visits. Further, the system may be employed as a mobile unit where technicians administer the test to subjects and provide an analysis without having to employ a trained professional to make an initial gingival health assessment.
The results of many analyses may also be used as marketing or advertising information to promote the effectiveness of particular products, combinations of products, and techniques. Examples of advertising claims that could be placed on product packaging that might be substantiated by the present invention include, but are not limited to, establishment claims (e.g., “clinically proven” or “tests show”), before and after claims (e.g., “10% less gingivitis after use”), monadic claims, comparative claims, factor-claims (e.g., “3× reduction in gingivitis”), and prevention and treatment claims. For example, product packages may refer to an analysis and demonstrate objectively-proven effectiveness or comparisons of the product. Also, analysis data may be used in clinical information related to different regimen that may or may not by used in combination with different products or groups of products.
Although the forgoing text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the scope of the patent is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment because describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.
Thus, many modifications and variations may be made in the techniques and structures described and illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present claims. Accordingly, it should be understood that the methods and apparatus described herein are illustrative only and are not limiting upon the scope of the claims.
All documents cited herein are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention.
It will be appreciated that any of the features, steps, or aspects of the present invention described herein may be combined, in whole or part, with any other feature, step, or aspect of the present invention described herein.
All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
McClanahan, Stephen Francis, Dunavent, John Michael, Rubush, Michael Eugene, Gerlach, Robert Woodrow, Gibb, Roger David
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